UCLA was ranked No. 1 in the
Soccer America Preseason Women's Top 25, in part because of
its considerable depth, but the Bruins were depleted when they headed
to No. 8 Penn State for Friday's opener at the Penn State Invitational.

Depth helped UCLA reach the Women's College Cup final the last two
years. "Our philosophy," Bruin coach Jillian Ellis told
the Los
Angeles Daily News, "is that if we can
maximize every player on our roster, it will just keep pushing us
higher."

But the Bruins, who are ranked No. 1 by Soccer America for the first
time, are missing five players in
Russia for the U-20 Women's World Championship: Danesha Adams, Erin Hardy, Tina DiMartino, Val Henderson and
freshman Lauren Cheney.

Ellis, who has guided UCLA to three straight final four appearances and
four in the last six years, could have available as few as only
two starters from the team
that lost to Portland, 4-0, in last year's Women's College Cup final. Iris Mora and Jill Oakes
graduated, Canada star Kara
Lang was lost for the year with a knee injury, and Mary Castelanelli
and McCall Zerboni
were among several returnees battling injuries in preseason. That left
only defender Bristyn
Davis and midfielder
Stacey Lindstrom, both seniors, certain for the opener
against Penn State.

UCLA's 2006 freshman class will need to make an immediate impact. In
addition to Cheney, the Bruins
feature several players with extensive international experience,
including Lauren Wilmoth
and Lauren Switzer,
who will
likely start in the back. Indiana transfer Molly Kruger
could see
a lot of playing time in midfield.